Actually, the NY Times article about the performance of LiIon batteries is fairly accurate.
They perform as advertised when their temperature stays above 70F and below 120F. When you take them outside this range, they suffer serious performance loss.
If you get them too cold, they won't charge and they won't discharge, as Broder found out with his winter test-drive.
If you get them too hot they will vent and if you get them really hot, they'll burst into flames, as Boeing found out with the 787.
I just can't believe the cobalt type LiIon was approved for use in the 787 but they were. The cobalt type is the more dangerous type from what I've read but I wouldn't think any type of large capacity LiIon should be used in airliners.
Speaking of fair weather electrics, I’m wondering how my local Little Miss Adventure is doing with her black Chebby Volt right now.
Or if she’s wrecked out somewhere due to her passion for holding her cellphone to her left ear with her right hand, arm cocked over her nose while driving down the centerline.
Our recent spate of cold here couldn’t have been good for her Volt.
I know, it’s a [poorly designed] hybrid.
She probably had to use far more gasoline than normal.